Common Tech Blunders Remote Workers Face

As a remote employee, you likely spend a lot of time on the phone or on your computer. We rely heavily on technology to communicate with our colleagues and clients and to get our work done. But every now and then we face some tech blunders.

Sometimes it’s our own fault; other times, it’s just technology failing us. Either way, though, experiencing these tech blunders can be frustrating, embarrassing, and even make us look unprepared and unprofessional.

If you’re working remotely (or are considering it), here are some common tech blunders you may experience, and tips for avoiding them:

Accidentally turning on your computer camera.

Depending on the communications tools you use—Join.me, Zoom, Slack, Sococo, etc.—it’s likely there’s a “video chat” or “turn on camera” option on at least some of them. And there’s an equally good chance you’ll accidentally hit that button at least once.

Turning on your camera during a conference call when you’re not prepared can be a bit embarrassing. It’s not the end of the world, of course, but it’s not fun…especially if you’re still in your jammies and haven’t brushed your hair.

Lesson learned: pay attention to where the buttons are within each app you use for work, so you can avoid accidentally hitting one you didn’t intend to.

Hitting “mute” (or worse, “unmute”) at the wrong time.

During my four years of working at FlexJobs, I’ve been pregnant twice. I tend to drink a lot of water, which doesn’t always bode well when you’re in the middle of a writer’s meeting.

See where this is going?

One time I decided to chance it, and ran to the restroom during our Join.me meeting. Unfortunately, in my haste, I accidentally unmuted my phone and didn’t realize it until it was too late. Although my team was certainly too polite to say anything, I’m sure they heard what was really going on!

Lesson learned: make sure your phone is always on mute unless you’re speaking—and use the restroom right before a meeting…not during!

Having the Internet go out.

I never knew that you could have perfect Internet coverage in one area of your house—and then have a dead zone on the other side. It’s true, though. When your Internet goes out, you are absolutely paralyzed professionally from getting anything done as a remote worker. You can call your service provider, but sometimes troubleshooting with them on the phone can take an hour or more, depending on the issue. And that’s if you remember the phone number for your service provider, which you might need to look up online, which you can’t because you don’t have Internet. See what a tangled web it is?

Lesson learned: have a backup location (or three) where you can go if your Internet goes out—like a coworking space or your local coffeehouse—so you can continue working.

Having your phone drop a very important call.

“Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now?”

So much of your remote work experience depends on how well you communicate with your colleagues and your boss.

If you’ve got spotty cell service in your home, consider investing in a land line or switching providers. You don’t want to have to deal with your phone constantly dropping calls—it can be rude and unprofessional. And it’s especially bad when the call is with someone really important, like your CEO or a new big client.

Lesson learned: make sure that if you need to communicate, your communication tool is working for you—and not against you.

Having your mouse stop working…during a screen share.

Your mouse can be a finicky thing. One day it’s working great, and then boom, it decides it wants to freeze in the middle of the screen—right in the middle of you presenting a project to your team.

Lesson learned: always keep a spare mouse in your drawer.

There are always going to be issues with technology when you work remotely. You might experience the dreaded BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) or have equipment that konks out on you for no reason whatsoever. You just have to relax, put on your IT hat, and try to fix the issue as best as you can (if they’re fixable). Just keep your cool and know that we, your fellow remote workers, have all been there and experienced the same issues, too. At the end of the day, it’s just part of the fun of working remotely!

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By Jennifer Parris | Categories: Work Remotely

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